Thank you for the reviews:) I am glad that you like the story so far. I hope everyone continues to like it. Please keep reviewing, I write more based on your reviews, so if you would like a particular plot twist, let me know, I am at your service, I will try to work it out.

Note: I own nothing and this story is completely fictional, any similarity to reality is purely coincidental. Eventually you will see some things that may be probable in history, but it is purely fictitious.

Now that the disclaimer has been made, let's get on with it...

Scarlett arrived at Tara only to find her Mammy awfully sick...she sat near her old, thin, dying mammy and wrote...

Oh diary,

My mammy is dying. I do not know what to do. She comes in and out of consciousness and I do not know how to bear it when she doesn't know who I am. I need her so much right now. How can I begin to figure out what to do without my mammy? How can I show her how much she has meant to me all my life? I do not want to take advantage of her the way I did everyone else who mattered to me. I won't allow it. I will show her. I will never let anyone who means something to me not know how much they mean to me ever again.

Scarlett looked at her mammy and whispered to her "I love you mammy. I love you."

Mammy lay still and quietly resting. She stirred and slowly opened her eyes.

Scarlett knelt down by the bed and asked her mammy "Is there anything that you want mammy?"

"I want to see Mister Rhett."

"I know mammy, I sent for him, just like you asked."

The old woman coughed a bit and Scarlett soothed her.

Then the frail old lady fell back asleep.

Tears streamed down Scarlett's face... Rhett please come before it's too late...

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Rhett returned home after trying to hunt down a couch that the Yankees stole from his mother's house. He went up to his room and found a telegram on his table. The words stung his heart...

MAMMY VERY SICK STOP. DYING STOP. ASKING FOR YOU STOP. PLEASE HURRY STOP.

SIGNED WILL B. STOP.

Rhett picked up the coat he just dropped and his bag and returned to the station.

As he was on the train his mind was preparing to see Scarlett. He had to remain strong. He was not going to allow himself to be weak again. No matter what she said or was going to say. Actions were louder than words and she hadn't done a single thing! Rhett built up everything he had in his mind. He thought about the sleepless nights. He was going to get past this. He was Rhett Butler. He was not going to die over her. He was a survivor. He thought about the past several weeks that he was getting his life on track. He had direction. He conveniently forgot about all the tears he shed and how much he really wanted to be with her. For the fact that he was going to where she was meant he could not let out a bit that he wanted her. He was not going to go to her again. Never again... He would be happy if he surrounded himself with positive things and with positive people and with love. Not with bitterness and hate. He was determined...

Though, he reasoned with himself, she will need some comfort. I won't be angry with her... I will just comfort her and then be on my way...

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"Mammy, its okay, go to sleep" Scarlett soothed her Mammy, "Rest now."

"Mister Rhett..."

"I know Mammy, he..."

Scarlett couldn't bear to utter the words. She got up and Suellen sat in her place.

Scarlett walked over to the fireplace and tears fell down her face. She took out the note she had been carrying since she sent word to Rhett. She had decided to give him a note, in case words failed her at the moment.

My Dear Rhett,

Thank you so much for coming to see Mammy. She wanted to wait for you so much. I knew that you would not let her down. My darling, I am so sorry about what has happened to us. Please let me try to make it up to you. I know you don't put much stock in words, so let me show you my darling. I love you. I will do anything...

Scarlett folded the note and put it back in her pocket and went back over to her Mammy. She had to be strong for her.

She returned to the bed and sat next to Sue. They held each others hand and Scarlett had a hand resting on her old mammy.

...Mammy opened her eyes and smiled...

"Mammy..."

Rhett stood in the door way and set his coat down on a chair.

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Scarlett wrote furiously, recounting what had transpired...

How could he do that to me! How could he lie to Mammy like that? Her last dying wish and he just disregarded it like it was nothing!! Even admitting he was a scoundrel. How could he walk out on me like that, with me begging! He totally wanted to humiliate me like that in front of my family and the servants!

Scarlett's mind wandered back to those painful moments over Mammy's deathbed. He was so near to her and she could feel the heat emanating from him. And then those words, saying that nothing had changed. He was wrong. She had changed.

Why didn't I say anything? Why didn't I follow him out the door and try to talk to him? Why didn't I ask him if we could talk? Nothing; I didn't do a single thing. I just stopped myself. I couldn't bear the embarrassment of it. The shame. How could I?

How could I? She panicked and then dropped her head in total dismay...

She heard the paper rumple in her pocket. She totally forgot to give him his note...

With all the commotion and humiliation she forgot to give it to him... How could she?

Now I will never have my chance...she thought to herself.

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Rhett sat in his compartment on the train with a blank stare on his face.

With hands not his own and a mind gone he took out his book.

...Scarlett. I am so sorry. I meant to be more caring. You just lost your mammy. I know that. I meant to be there for you without letting my personal conflict take over... I am sorry. One day I hope I can tell you...

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Question to the readers...

I do not want to bore you nor myself, so I have a question. Does it interrupt things if I flash forward to another part of the story, or skip ahead? We do not have to, but really it is a lot of the same frustration until we get to see some movement. Let me know how you feel about moving ahead in the timeline...Thanks. If I do not hear anything before I convince myself to do so, then I guess I will go ahead with skipping some things, in which case I will do a summary of what we moved past... If we move past, then I may skip all the way ahead until around the time Scarlett goes to Charleston after Rhett...then that will be somewhat quick because I want to get to where she is going to visit her Grandfather... from there, the story will depart from following the Novel Scarlett for the most part...Thanks for your thoughts... See you next week.